On Christmas day at our church, I had the privilege of seeing a brand new wheelchair ramp get used for the first time, as my mom’s dear friend and a beloved member of our congregation was wheeled into the building.  For the past few years, this woman has been carried up the front stairs of our church almost every Sunday.

But not anymore.

“Why is this significant?” you may ask.

Well, here is the story behind the wheelchair ramp.

Before my mom passed away in the U.S. in 2011, she specified that any memorial gifts made in her name should be divided equally between her home church and Holy Trinity Church in Cape Town.

She loved Holy Trinity, and was so grateful for the love that this church has shown our extended family over the years.

When the memorial gift money arrived at the church from the States, I was asked if there was anything specific I would like the money to be used for.  I requested that the lump sum be used toward the installation of a wheelchair ramp.

My mom was wheelchair-bound for the last three months of her life, yet being able to go to church every week remained vital to her.  She loved to worship, and going to church was of utmost importance to her.

My mom also had a special place in her heart for the woman in our church in Cape Town who had a stroke a couple of years ago and is now confined to a wheelchair.  They became good friends when my mom stayed in her flat when she was in Cape Town in 2009.  I know that my mom would have been thrilled to know that this friend can now be comfortably wheeled up the ramp in order to praise and worship the God they both love.

To those members of the congregation at Holy Trinity who donated precious time to design and build this ramp – thank you from the bottom of my heart.  It truly warmed my heart to see so many of you giving up your Saturday mornings to gather together and complete this project.

To those who might be reading this who actually gave money in memory of my mom … thank you.  Your kindness has extended around the globe to tangibly bless a sister in Christ, and hopefully many more in the years to come.  To God be the glory.